Staples Connect Champions Small Businesses With Product Sourcing Project
Total Retail Talks · with Stacey Helbig & Brian Coupland · January 18, 2021 · 22 min
Summary
Staples Connect's Breakthrough Project offers a unique opportunity for small businesses to gain access to a major retail channel, both in-store and online. This initiative highlights how large retailers can foster innovation and support the growth of smaller brands by integrating their products, providing valuable lessons for ecommerce operators looking to scale through strategic partnerships and diversified sales channels.
Key takeaways
Small businesses can leverage corporate initiatives like Staples' Breakthrough Project to get their products in front of a wider audience, gaining retail placement and e-commerce exposure.
Large retailers can benefit from sourcing unique products from small businesses to differentiate their offerings and respond to consumer demand for local and innovative goods.
Successful implementation of such projects requires cross-functional collaboration within the larger organization, from merchandising to marketing and e-commerce teams.
Merchants should actively seek partnerships and competitions run by larger retailers or platforms that align with their product categories and growth aspirations.
Retailers can use their physical and digital storefronts to champion and feature new, small business products, creating a compelling narrative for consumers and driving traffic.
In episode 281 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Stacey Helbig, vice president of solution strategy, and Brian Coupland, senior vice president of merchandising at Staples. Listen in as Helbig and Coupland discuss the Staples Connect Breakthrough Project, the inspiration behind the initiative, and the criteria being used to evaluate new product ideas during the…
What does this episode say about retail & omnichannel?
Small businesses can leverage corporate initiatives like Staples' Breakthrough Project to get their products in front of a wider audience, gaining retail placement and e-commerce exposure.
What does this episode say about product & merchandising?
Large retailers can benefit from sourcing unique products from small businesses to differentiate their offerings and respond to consumer demand for local and innovative goods.
What does this episode say about founder & leadership?
Successful implementation of such projects requires cross-functional collaboration within the larger organization, from merchandising to marketing and e-commerce teams.
What does this episode say about retail & omnichannel?
Merchants should actively seek partnerships and competitions run by larger retailers or platforms that align with their product categories and growth aspirations.
What does this episode say about retail & omnichannel?
Retailers can use their physical and digital storefronts to champion and feature new, small business products, creating a compelling narrative for consumers and driving traffic.
